


Things That Happen

by BlueDiamondStar



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Gen, Jane!whump, Paint It Red Challenge, no particular plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-05
Updated: 2013-10-05
Packaged: 2017-12-28 12:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/991773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueDiamondStar/pseuds/BlueDiamondStar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jane outside in a terrifying hurricane? He never thought California could have such.<br/>But a strong urge brings him outside and into his car on the way to CBI...<br/>Until something happens...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Things That Happen

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Paint It Red Monthly challenge October 2013. 
> 
> Prompt: Save Me by Bo Bruce (April 2013) and You Never Know (November 2012).

**~You told me to let go**  
And I had my eyes closed  
Why would you wake me  
If you're not gonna save me?~

It had been a rather unusual day for California weather in the middle of a summer.  
And for the occasion Jane had bundled into his usual, signature three-piece suit with lapels pulled up to his ears. But it did a pretty poor job anyway.  
The cold gusts of wind not only threatened to blow him off his already shaky legs, but also poured at him what felt like endless gallons of water.  
And it was just on his way from the motel front door to the car, which was probably a feet ten away. Obviously enough for such weather to turn him into a human sponge and popsicle at the same time. 

When Patrick was finally safely tucked into his little French car things weren't awfully different from what was going on outside.  
It was unbelievably freezing and if he wasn't already frozen or resembling drowned puppy then now he felt like properly stuffed into a freezer and left to turn into a nice ice-man. 

The car was slightly rocking in the hurricane gusts and he could literally feel it as if he was still outside.  
The fact that he was actually dripping water didn't quite register since his system was most likely in a slight shock. Although the weather man had promised some period of rainy weather and possible wind.  
Yeah, before it took about an hour to all of a sudden nose-dive towards catastrophic levels.

And being no psychic, contrary to popular belief, Patrick Jane got caught in the middle of a sunshine filled day by a dreadfully colored clouds he simply brushed off as a silly paranoia and paid no mind until just mere moments ago when a sudden and terrifying lightning bolt followed by unheard, glass shattering rumble brought the ever chipper consultant out of his lonely Saturday musings in the rather empty motel room. And that was just a second before world turned dark as midnight forest in England and as terrifying as a wolf's howling in a dark cave full of invisible crawling things ready to eat you. 

It was enough to make his mind and scurry off to car in the shortest time possible and try to reach CBI building, his safe heaven, not that he'd admit it aloud.

But only now- in the car, with water dripping off his uncharacteristically disheveled and strangely straightened hair, with clothes so wet it felt like had been swimming fully clothed instead of just making several feet distance in hard rain- Patrick realized he might as well not make it to the only safest place he knew.  
He could barely see through the sheets of rain and just the sound of hurricane alone sent his fear free.  
And he suddenly felt afraid to ignite and floor the pedal that would either bring him to death or safety.

The mildly scared man tried to preserve logical mind and reached for his phone. It was wet. But unlike those of much more modern manufacturing wasn't dead, yet.  
Actually it was as alive as a cell phone could. The only thing that was indeed dead was the signal. Not a good sign.

It meant no contact with the only family he now knew. It meant unknown.

So the consultant made a decision. Maybe it went against all the logic, but he couldn't care less. After all he wasn't famous for being logical or by some perfect behavior of an adult. No, he would write it off to his usual carefree attitude and not care in a world about a thing.  
And it will be just about his usual self, right? 

It seemed almost too easy when the car purred to life immediately. And it wasn't even showing signs of being afraid of the weather. Right, like a piece of plastic and metal could feel anything. Like it could be alive even in an imagination.  
But it gave a bit of false security to imagine just a bit, that the car could somehow feel and be at least a tiny bit alive.

Patrick floored the gas pedal without a moment of hesitation and tried not to be surprised it worked and made the vehicle he loved so much move forward.

He felt weirdly distant though, almost as if it was a surreal dream which felt unbelievably real. And he wasn't a man who slept easily. Not even all those years. 

But he was a man on a mission. Mission he hoped to survive and wake up from like it had been just a bad dream.

He found it strange to move through empty city like nobody was even there to stop him. Streets were so empty, just filled with water like they were in Venice and only missing a gondola or two.  
No, it was, in fact, strange. It made the knot in his already empty stomach grow bigger and tie more tightly. It felt vaguely nauseting. 

Somehow, impossibly, and just a tad mysteriously Jane made it through some of the flooded streets, and just as miraculously managed not to run down anyone or anything.  
It was dark, really unusual for Sacramento at about two in afternoon on a Saturday.  
Of course, the consultant was really glad their regular climate was offering a relatively warm conditions and snow was a mountains thing.  
He would give his left hand to not experience that snowstorm gazillion years ago, during one of his travels to places he would not visit any day in future.  
It had, too, been a nice and sunny day before something up there got loose and their system went all kinds of riddiculous. Except it wasn't. And he be damned if he ever let himself travel anymore. At least to places with a possibility of a snow. 

It was past, nobody should know about his poor excuse of a survival.  
But this was beyond hilarious. Only it was in a civilized place instead of wild forest. This was a city, and in a state which offered a generous amount of sunshine. Usually.

It brought him out of thoughts suddenly. And not very pleasantly.  
A jerk. A bang. And in the impossibly shortest amount of second it took to be over. No warning signs, no proverbial cheers. No nothing.

Maybe he was numb, maybe dead. Or quite possibly already decomposed. Who really knew? 

There was only dark. And nothing.

No time, no sound, no feeling.

A rabbit hole without anything to stop the fall. 

Until there was a hand on his shoulder and a voice like angel's to make it feel even less real. 

Until he recognized the voice. And face that followed. Charlotte. His little girl.  
And suddenly there was his Charlotte, just older.  
And they both were smiling at him and squeezing his shoulder in an assurring manner that sent warmth to his frozen, numb body.  
He felt warm and happy.  
But still he couldn't decipher a word they spoke, just a calming murmur.

Until…

"Jane? You hear me? Wake up, please." 

And with that the world changed positions and all his muffled senses returned with a screetching reality.

"Finally, Jane. You got me worried here for a while." Lisbon said, her hand brushing a strand of his hair away. Her hand felt warm. 

He shivered suddenly and with a startling clarity realized he was laying on the wet ground and there was raindrops falling on his face. It was just about turning dusk and there were thunder rumbling from afar. 

"Wha-wha-at h-ha-app-ened?" He made out the question in a voice that his ears couldn't recognize as his own. 

Lisbon's hands gripped his own tightly and with a sad smile she said, "You slipped on a wet ground. Fell and hit your head. I found you just now. Came to overview some cases." Her eyes looked up and around. "But why you came here? It's Saturday. And one hell of a thunderstorm." Lisbon's eyebrows swung together in a frown. 

Only then Jane realized he was by his car, in CBI lot and there was a puddle by his left foot.

Whoops…

**The End**


End file.
